Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-25
THE MARRIAGE.
"And They That Were Ready
Went In With HIM.,

Rev. w. B. Stradley, of the Trinity
NJ. E. Church, took for his text yester.
day morning the tenth verse OF the
twenty fifth chapter of Matthew: "Aud
while they went to buy the bridegroom
came; and they that were ready went in
with him to the marriage, and the door
was shut" He called attention pariic.
ularly to the latter portion Of the verse,
and said that the parable in which it was
contained is one of the most beautiful of
the large collection of parallels, and is
suppose ed to refer to the second coming
Of Christ. Wise men are disagreed as
10 whether the second coming of Christ
takes place at death or at some time in
the far future. 1t is not essential to our
understanding of the Scripture that We
should bs able to determine the times
of occurrences. which the Lord has
kept in his own hands. A great many
people are spending more time III
studying the dat6 of occurrences than
they are 10 the essential doc rines
which concern our life and
death. 1t concerns us great deal
more to know how to live and
how to die than to find out what move
ments are to take place in the future.
Ore thing is sure. in very short time
Christ is coming to yon and me and we
should be ready and able 10 have him
say to us, swell done, thou good and
faithful servants" In the parable we
fad the truth repeated, Of the intimate
relation between Christ and his people.
He says he Is the vine and we are the
branches. 1t is hard 10 conceive of a
connection closer than the branch to the
vine. They are one aud the same and
are mutually connected with the soil
from which tEey draw subsistence.
There is another and more forcible ex.
preston as to the relationship. de says
we are the wife and be is the husband.
Isaac said the church was welded to
God, and Hosea said the church was the
betrotbed of God. At that time man.
kind was rot prepared to accept this it
innate relationship. John in Revela-
tions give US clever view of this rela'
ticnship. He saw the church ascending
into heaven as bride unto her hus-
bard. He saw another body coming out
VI tuO WAuCAueeo 40 "ou"" via" a.
light and glory, leaning upon
the arm of her beloved. The
chnrch constituted tho mans wife
The church and Christ are one
flesh and the revelation was that of the
final gathering of the church to its hus.
band. This grand celebration is pre-
sented to US under the guise of para.
BILE, in which there are many beautiful
lessons. We need to study this parable
in connection with eontemporaneous his.
tory in order to understand it perfectly.
The truth is, the Orient is full of evil
dences of the authenticity Of this book.
Mr.. Ward describes marriage cere-
mopy he witnessed in India, which was
similar to that described in the Bible.
When the people were waiting for the
groom he heard these words: behold!
the bridegroom cometb, 60 ye out to
meet him." These words are the same
as are in the Bible. Thus It, appears
that little knowledge of contemporane'
ous history helps wonderfully in
understanding the parallels. The les.
sons taught by the text in question are
very necessary. First. we should be
pre- pared to 20 in with Him to the mar.
riage. A description of that event is
not possible because God has for some
reason put veil between this and that
world, but we will understand it by.and-
by, and if we love Him we shall some
time meet Him and see Him in His
glory. He said, ~ 60 to prepare q
place for you" and we must be prepare
to go to that place when the bridegroom
comes. II we are not we shall be shu,
out for the door will be closed aud there
will be no admittapce afterwards.